Auto museum looks to boost local revenue

About 80 percent of the 80,000 annual visitors to The National Automobile Museum in downtown Reno may come from out of town, but locally generated revenue plays a critical role in keeping the museum's doors open.

And not just locals plopping down $8 each to see the Bill Harrah's collection of priceless vehicles.

Instead, the nonprofit organization looks for continued growth in its banquet and corporate meetings business, already a healthy part of its $1 million annual operating budget, as well as growth in its retail sales.

In May alone, the museum on Lake Street along the Truckee River is scheduled to host 20 evening events, says Executive Director Jackie Frady.

If May is like most months, those evening events will range from birthday parties for car buffs to corporate functions for northern Nevada businesses.

Museum executives believe that even more corporate business will follow a remodeling job in the museum's theater, a project that will add a stage.

And the museum seeks to further strengthen its revenues through sales from a store that's well-stocked with auto-related items 480 books about cars, for instance.

The local business took on greater importance, Frady says, as the museum suffered a double whammy with the Sept.

11 attacks and the rise of Indian gaming in northern California.

Before Sept.

11, attendance had been running about 100,000 a year visitors who generated $160,000 more a year in admission revenue than the current 80,000 visitors.

About 75 percent of the museum's operating budget is earned income admissions, banquet rentals, retail sales and the like.

Donations make up the difference.

Some visitors come to Reno specifically to see The National Automobile Museum "For many people, it's been on their wish list for years," Frady says but many come to the city for other reasons and find their way to the museum.

That places great importance on an oftenoverlooked staple of tourism marketing the brochure in a rack in the hotel lobby.

The museum aligns its marketing efforts closely with the Reno-Tahoe Convention and Visitors Authority, which views the auto museum as a key piece of its effort to differentiate northern Nevada from other gaming destinations.

"Locals and visitors alike enjoy the special experience of the museum, proving that adventure comes in all shapes and sizes," says Deanna Ashby, RSCVA Executive Director of Marketing.

The museum spends modestly on paid advertising.

"The AAA book is a must for us," Frady says, but the museum relies instead on free publicity and appearances at events that draw automotive buffs.

The publicity includes a ranking by Car Collector Magazine that placed The National Automobile Collection among the must-see auto museums in the nation.

Appearances at annual events such as Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, a classic car event that pays the cost of transporting cars from the Harrah's collection so they can be shown to an audience of upscale auto admirers.

And in northern Nevada, Frady says the museum's participation in events such as Hot August Nights and The Reno Air Races also provide marketing leverage.A car from the museum's collection once owned by actor James Dean is a hit at Hot August Nights, she says, while air-racing fans often are just as interested in classic cars as classic aircraft.

Another inexpensive marketing tool, Frady says, has been e-mailed invitations to car clubs in the region to consider the museum as the destination for an outing.

And sometimes, the museum simply gets a boost from events far outside its control.

"We've had a lot of visitors from Europe recently," Frady says."We know that the exchange rate must be pretty good for them."